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A Fairly Harsh OLD SCHOOL Review!!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I think Mr. Beaks is working on a review of this right now, having seen it the other day. When I talked to him, he seemed to have enjoyed the film quite a bit, so I’m surprised by how harsh this particular reaction is. Then again, I think comedy is even more personal and particular than porn. Either you laugh at something, or you don’t.
And it sounds like Mean Mr. Mustard didn’t.
Hey Harry, Mean Mr. Mustard here and here's the scoop on a screening I attended in LA of Old School. Old School is from the same producing/directing team that gave us Road Trip a few years back. Now, a few positive things have been posted on AICN about Old School, but readers be warned, they were PLANTS! PLANTS, I tell you, PLANTS! Truth be Told... Old School Sucks!
Here is the set up... Mitch (Luke Wilson) comes home and finds his wife (Juliette Lewis) in a Gang Bang with 4 other guys (YUP). He splits from her, and rents a house near the local university. His two best friends, Frank "the Tank" (Will Ferrell), and Beanie (Vince Vaughn) see an opportunity to re-live their youth and start up a Frat-house which becomes a success overnight. Meanwhile, the evil dean (Jeremy Piven) will do what ever is in his powers
to shut down the Frat-House.
There are several problems with the film, the first being the story. Revenge Of The Nerds 1 and 2, Back to School, Animal House, Bachelor Party, Porkys, even the director's own Road Trip, it's been done before. You will not find anything fresh about Old School. The evil dean, the corrupt students that run the student government, the initiation to the fraternity, the fraternity that has to compete in a series of competitions in order to stay a fraternity, the horney thirty something men trying to relive their youths, all of it just feels repetitive. Been there, done that.
Now the cast... Luke Wilson is a good actor when given a good director and good material to work with (Bottle Rocket and Royal Tenenbaums come to mind), but here, he came across like Steve Gutenberg (sp?) or Judge Reinhold. He's the average Joe who has to react to everything bizarre happening around him, and that's about it. I hate to say it because I loved Tenenbaums so much, but Luke just seemed to be too bland in this film. Maybe he was just board.
Will Ferell is basically playing Will Ferell. He's doing the same stuff he did on SNL and yes, he is funny and gets a few laughs here and there, but a lot of Will goes a long way. I loved how Kevin Smith used him in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back... you give him 10, maybe 15 minutes of screen time and he will walk away with your film. But to have him as one of your leads and in 90 percent of the film... it just grows tiresome.
Vince Vaughn is basically playing Trent from Swingers all over again. The same fast talking asshole that gets his friends into trouble. The same mannerisms, the same dress, the same everything... been there, done that!
And the usually reliable Jeremy Piven… well my problem is that they decided to make his Dean the Grown up version of Max Fischer from Rushmore. He has Max Fischer's speech, his hair, his glasses, and his suite! But there is only one Max Fischer, and that is Jason Schwartzman. One would have thought that old Luke would have said something.
And there is a small role played by Sean William Scott, and he is basically redoing his Stiffler shtick.
All in all, it's just been done before, it's never as clever as it wants to be or thinks it is, and there is something that was bitter, and off-putting about Old School. Skip Old School, and just watch Animal House again!
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Doesn't seem right.
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Comedy is pretty subjective - I bet your girlfriend things that what you think is funny isn't. Your girlfriend - that's funny. Speaking of funny, Super Troopers is damn funny - Those Broken Lizard guys got to work.
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I'm still gonna see it.
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Will Ferrell is hilarious. I can't wait for the Elf.
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I can't begin to comprehend why anyone would think 'Royal' was A.) Good or B.) Funny. I'm convinced the only reason anyone would give that movie a good review is to kiss the ass of the director and the plethora of stars that signed up to do that festering turd (probably script unseen). But I digress. Why do another Frat movie with the same premise over and over again? Because they make money. Maybe not on the initial run, but in cult-status video sales to high school kids and frat boys. They watch schlock like this every chance they get.
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Will Farrell...as much as hate to agree with Mustard...funny when given limited screen time, annoying when occupying most of a film. Should have stayed with SNL.
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Sep 20, 2002 12:59:25 PM CDT
Will Farrell isn't funny to all of us American schmucks.
by sod off baldric
I just don't see the appeal of the guy. He was okay in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, but I really can't think of anything else in which I actually liked him. As for Old School, don't think I'll need to see. And for the guy who was bitching about Tenenbaums, if you didn't like it that's fine. Just say that YOU didn't like it. We all like different things, and I loved Tenenbaums. Thought it was both good and funny.
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I don't think I really want to see this film, folks. And even if I did, I'd be better off spending my $8 renting "Animal House" and partaking of BK's new 99 cent menu (MMM-sourdough cheeseburgers) then seeing this celluloid garbage. Who greenlighted this thing anyhoo? It sounds like every other college slapsticker ever made with a creepy, 30-somethings relive they youth angle that sounds like a male fantasy run amuck. And what a smeggin waste of talent! You have cool actors like Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Jeremy Piven, and the adequately funny Will Farrell, and this is the best they can do?! What matchbook film school did these filmmakers flunk out of? I think Hollywood needs a few fresher ideas for comedies. Youth isn't so much wasted on the young as the young are the one's wasting it, SO GROW UP ALREADY!!!!!!
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...to be put back in the refrigerator. Sorry man, but this review doesn't change my opinion. Will Ferrel, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Jeremy Piven is sure fire comic genius; I don't care how re-tread the concept is. And Piven as the evil dean? The opposite of PCU? That I gotta see, he plays such a great wise-cracking asshole. Oh, and I don't find Juliette Lewis attractive in the least but hey I'll sign up to see her get filled out like an application!
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I thought it was horribly long and depressing unfunny. I cannot comprehend how ANYone could find ANY part of it funny. I didn't laugh once. It's not the writer(/s)/director either, because I liked "Bottle Rocket" alot, (and "Rushmore" was good too). The cast was amazing too, yet ridiculously unfunny. Even Ben Stiller was horribly unfunny. I worked in a video store all summer and I just watched in pity as people kept renting "Tenenbaums", over and over. Whenever somebody asked me what I thought of it, I told them it was horrible. For everyone else, all I could do was see their disillusioned faces as they returned the movie the next day. Please, somebody explain to me what is funny about that movie. It is easily the most overrated film since "Forrest Gump".
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Will is funny as Dubya, and was funny in JASBSB, but that's it. The guy tries too hard. And speaking of trying too hard, ROYAL TENNENBAUMS suffers IMHO from possibly the worst case of "look how quirky I can be" ever in the history of cinema. I have a theory that the people who really liked RT are wannabe film students, every single one of 'em. Anderson just couldn't let two seconds go by without sticking something "offbeat" in the frame, and the cumulative effect was insanely cloying. I was so busy dealing with the pointless detail (why are Bill Murray's toes taped together? Why should I give a shit?) that when the "revelation" about RT himself happened, it didn't even occur to me until after the film was over that it was supposed to be a revelation. Yeah, it was amusing the first time through, although watching the film while half nursing a stoned beyond all rational capacity girlfriend might have had something to do with that. Subsequent viewings, even brief snippets, made my skin crawl. A plea to Wes Anderson, who is indeed a talented filmmaker: keep it in your pants next time, please?
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I've actually found all of Anderson's movies SOMEWHAT grating in their excessive quirkiness; but ROYAL T's was worst of all. The only really moving scene was way in the beginning, when the falcon flies over the city and the "Na na na's" start on the soundtrack. I don't even know what it was supposed to mean, but I liked it.
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Royal Tenenbaums is the shit, but has nothing to do with this very possible turd of a movie...some funny people involved, but if it turns into to boob-fest like the first half of Road Trip, it would defeat the whole purpose and seem to just be playing to the pervs in place of the people who would appreciate it as a genuine piece of comedy.
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In response to the post about the Royal T's, here are a couple reason why people thought the movie was "good" and "funny" (as well as sad and ulitmatley uplifting. Here's the list: A.)They are not morons. B.) They are smart enough to enjoy something a little different, to think comedy can be "subtle." Most people who don't like the Royal T's don't know what the word subtle means. Give them Tom Green trying to feed a snake and they'll pee their pants laughing, I don't have time for these people. Jesus. Man, I'm such a pretentious film school asshole.
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I've actually never even seen the movie of your name, but so far you're the only person I agree with on this talkback. RT is absolutely great ---- funny, heartfelt, beautifully filmed and well-acted. ROAD TRIP sucked and so does Vince Vaughn. Jeremy Piven's alright, though, which reminds me ---- did everyone forget the only really funny ANIMAL HOUSE ripoff: PCU?
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FUCK ALL OF YOU.
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